


Stuck in the Middle (with You)

by OwlOfDeath



Series: His Lingering Scent [1]
Category: World of Warcraft
Genre: Affection, Banter, Blood Elf/Human Relationship, Blood and Violence, Boys In Love, Boys Kissing, Character Development, Cross faction friendships, Dalaran, Explicit Sexual Content, Fantasy, Friendship, Hand Jobs, M/M, Mages, Magic, Male-Female Friendship, Neck Kissing, Nipple Licking, Original Character(s), Purge of Dalaran, Romance, School, Strong Female Characters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-22
Updated: 2020-06-22
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:35:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,099
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24858484
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OwlOfDeath/pseuds/OwlOfDeath
Summary: Hashin has overslept. There are classes to attend, and assignments to write, but in the city of Dalaran there is tension in the air.
Relationships: Hashin Clearwell/Arithaniel Flameheart
Series: His Lingering Scent [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1798504
Comments: 7
Kudos: 3





	Stuck in the Middle (with You)

**Author's Note:**

> This takes place around 7 years before the events of my story [Mousetrap](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24779302).
> 
> Hashin age 25.

The bright sun burned his eyes as he left the relative gloom of the doorway, momentary blinding him, and he raised his hand against it. Late nights and early mornings had never agreed with him. But that didn't necessarily mean he ever learned his lesson.

"Hashin!" a familiar voice called out and he squinted towards it, spotting Corinn waving him over from the opposite side of the pink cobbled street. In a few long strides he crossed the distance, sliding up beside her.

"Mornin'."

"'Morning' he says," she sighed to herself then shot him a mild frown, "we've been waiting for you for a while you know."

"It was worth it though, wasn't it," he grinned.

"The council is still deliberating on that one, I think," the man standing in the shade behind them said as he pushed himself away from the wall, "did you do the assignment on translocation circle calculations for Professor Lividinia's class?"

"Eh, well I guess maybe half?"

"Half?! Who does _half_ of their assignment?"

"Someone who falls asleep at their desk?" 

Arithaniel looked him up and down with exaggerated disappointment, but Corinn only scoffed. "Then no, not worth the wait! I forgot all about it, you were my last hope," he whined.

"It's fine, we can finish it together during the free period. I had other plans, but you know..."

"Did those plans include me, anyway?"

"Oh absolutely." 

Ari grinned at that and walked over. Putting his arm around Hashin's shoulders he pulled his face in close for a kiss.

" _Ugh_ , enough, let's go, we're already running late because of you," Corinn rebuked, dragging them along.

The city of Dalaran was as bustling as ever, a mix of every kind of magically inclined person filling the streets. This close to one of the academy campuses many were students and the atmosphere was lively and anxious as they made their way to class.

Arithaniel and Corinn were cousins, both blonde with fair but slightly sun-kissed skin and the bright, saturated green eyes typical of blood elves. But where her hair was the rich colour of ripe wheat, often fashioned into a wild tangle on top of her head, his was a light shade of honey, straight and reaching all the way to his hips. He sometimes wore it in a long braid, but today it was hanging loose down his back and shoulders. Ari wore several small and thin gold rings up along his long ears, but Corinn preferred earrings set with red gems in her lobes and a plain gold stud in her nose.

She was on the short side, wide hips and slender shoulders. Her nose and plump mouth were small, but she had large and round eyes, and they were as sharp as her tongue when she was in that mood. Arithaniel by contrast was a bit taller than Hashin, and even if both of them had slender builds his shoulders were broader. He had finer, prouder features than his cousin, and unlike hers his almond shaped eyes radiated a good-humored kindness. But they both had a dusting of freckles across their cheeks and nose, and got the same dimples in their cheeks when they smiled. There was a clear resemblance there; you could tell they were family.

Hashin's wavy, black hair and dark brown eyes made him the odd one out, but not so much so as the fact that he was a human amongst elves. In Dalaran, and the academy, factions usually didn't carry as much weight as they might elsewhere. Here there was something they all had in common: magic. Hashin had met Corinn during their first semester at the Dalaran academy and a friendship had grown easily between them. He was introduced to Arithaniel through her about a year later, when he too decided to join the academy. They had hit it off right from the start, and then it hadn't been long before they were more than just friends. Ever since the two of them had been inseparable, or fused at the hip, as Corinn so eloquently put it when she was especially annoyed.

A group of teenage girls passed them, smiling and waving at Corinn. Hashin reflexively spun around giving them a wide, charismatic grin and waving back, making them giggle amongst each other. Corinn snorted, slapping the back of his head and making him wince. "What are you doing, throwing that goofy smile around at younger girls like that? And with a face like yours it's even worse! Are you really that _clueless_?"

"She got a point," Ari laughed behind them.

"I'm being _friendly_... Wait, what about my face?"

"No you're being _flirtatious_. Unintentional or not, isn't it about time you started to _act your age_?"

"Eh, maybe next semester." He looked over his shoulder at Ari and the elf met his gaze, shaking his head lightly. _Don't piss her off_ he pleaded silently with his eyes.

"Next semester, _really_? Aren't you done with all of your basic credits since forever?"

"If I just wanted to work as a battle-mage, sure, but I didn't spend so much of my short, human life studying to die on some pointless battlefield. And since when are you ever done learning, anyway? I'll go as far as my scholarships will take me."

"Eh, I guess..."

"Hashin wants to become a scholar, remember?" Ari cut in from behind, his face appearing between them.

"It's not the same for you elven nobility with your privileged lifestyle. I have to actually _work_ for my accomplishments," Hashin retorted.

"Won't you miss blowing stuff up?" she asked, big eyes wide in surprise for comic effect.

"What, one doesn't have to rule out the other, does it?" he pouted.

"Hah, yeah, well it wasn't my parent's gold that gave me this big brain," Ari chuckled, putting his arm around him.

"Tsk," Corinn muttered low to herself, "yeah right, if you count thinking with your dick, maybe."

The men stopped for a moment, looking at her with raised brows, unconsciously mirroring each other's expressions. "What do you know about his dick exactly?" Hashin asked in mild dismay. Ari cringed, shooting him a sidelong glance.

"Hello, I've been to your dorm, dummy," she directed straight at Ari, "and I'm never dropping by unannounced again! Do you even _know_ the meaning of a towel?"

"Oh, right, his dorm. There are no secrets there..."

"Air drying is better, I have delicate skin."

"And no sense of modesty," she added. "Is this the same kind of twisted reasoning as why you can't eat grapes like a normal person?"

"Hm, what's wrong with how he eats grapes again?"

"He peels them, with his teeth! Who does that?"

"I don't see anything wrong with it," Hashin shrugged, "I kind of like it."

"Like it how? He eats the skin anyway; this way it just takes forever!"

"A woman of your limited experience might not understand."

"The feeding habits of man-children? No, I suppose I wouldn't," she quipped.

"Ah, _cousin_ , please don't put me in the same category as him..." Ari added with a soft sigh.

"It's the pleasure of watching your man play with what he puts in his mouth." His grin said it all.

"Ew, I don't want to know this! You're the worst," she exclaimed, pushing him away, and inadvertently Ari as well, meeting Hashin's snicker with a roll of her eyes. "Don't you have an off-button somewhere?" she snapped, frowning.

"I have an _on_ -button..." he countered humorously.

"Well _anyway_ ," Ari quickly intervened to try and defuse the situation, reading the growing annoyance on his cousin's face. "What's your first class?"

"Ancient elven. Corinn is in it too. We're on early morphology now."

"Hah. Sucks to be you."  
  
\- - -  
  
The sound of a hundred chairs scraping against the floor simultaneously rang through the large room as everyone stood, eager to get out of there.

"And don't forget!" the woman at the front of the room called, her voice a little louder than necessary to urge the attention of the restless students. "Write everything down! No conclusion is worth anything without genuine step-by-step method and reasoning! This isn't some frivolous class like Professor Loomfellow's theory on mana. Linguistics is _science_!" She stabbed at the dark wall with her pointer where the lightly glowing text hovered, easily distinguishable if it hadn't been for the haphazard handwriting. Luckily it had already been deciphered and translated into normal, eligible text into Hashin's notebook. It was a necessary skill to develop. His notes were neat, clean and organized, much to the delight of his friends.

"Let's compare later!" Corinn said as she hastily sidestepped past him, pulling her messenger bag over her head. "I have somewhere I got to be."

"Hm? Sure," he said, turning his head to see her stride quickly past Ari who had just appeared in the doorway, waving at them. He slipped his books into his own satchel, making for the door and the elf waiting there. "What was that about?" he asked as he slung his bag over his shoulder, brushing some of his long bangs from his eyes.

"Beats me, one of her book circles or tutoring jobs, maybe? I don't know half the stuff she's up to these days," he shrugged one shoulder, "you fine to head to the library then, got all your notes?"

"Yeah, well, let's make a stop on the way. I need a smoke."  
  
\- - -  
  
Hashin flipped the latch on the window, opening it wide and inviting fresh air in to mix with the scent of roses and spring rain that filled the bathroom. He slumped down to sit on the edge of the window, back to the frame, pulling one leg up to rest his wrist on it. Ari squeezed into the spot opposite, watching him as he popped a cigarette between his lips. Hashin was just about to conjure a spark between his fingers when Ari's fingertip appeared by his face, a small flame licking it, lighting it for him. "I don't know why I encourage you," he sighed, sitting back against the window frame.

"Fire mage reflexes? Thanks." He inhaled deeply, suppressing a cough as he took the cigarette between his fingers, facing out the window as he exhaled. Between them and the door the sinks were lined against the wall on one side, bathroom stalls the other.

"Why didn't we go outside for this, it just gets on your clothes when you smoke indoors."

"It's closer to the library, saves us going up and down all those steps," he shrugged, tapping the ashes out of the window.

Even this high up the breeze was mild, barely enough to set their hair fluttering. Far below the gardens were verdant and lively with birdsong and butterflies. Perpetually blossoming flowers, perfectly shaped trees and imaginatively trimmed bushes lined the snaking walkways, giving anyone the opportunity to enjoy nature at a safe distance.

"Besides," Ari continued, ignoring the excuses, "weren't you quitting?"

"I am, after this one."

"You're so full of shit," he snorted. "Here, let me have a dra—" the sound of the door creaking cut him short.

"Someone's coming!" Hashin hissed and quickly pushed him into the closest bathroom stall, slamming the door shut behind them.

"What was that for?" Arithaniel half whispered, back against the wall. "It's not like you can't smoke."

"Ah, guess I got a little carried away," he whispered back with an amused expression, "though people don't really like it when you do it _indoors_."

"I guess," Ari muttered, reaching for the cigarette.

"No," Hashin shook his head and held it away from him, "it's not for you. Your stepfather would kill me if he knew I let you smoke. He thinks it's a filthy habit."

"You're a filthy habit," Ari snorted with a soft laugh.

"Mmm, aren't I though?" Hashin grinned.

"To think after all these years that's what you worry about with my father. You know, if he knew what you were _doing to me_ he'd forget all about any smoking and kill you anyway."

"Heh, probably, but at least that'd be something worth getting killed over."

Ari lifted his chin, his ears twitching as he listened. "Oh, I think they left," he said, turning to the door. Hashin flicked the stub of the cigarette into the toilet and then promptly put his arm between Ari and the door. He pressed himself up against him, pushing him back to the wall. "Hashin... What are you doing?" He shot him a suspicious glance, "we're in a bathroom stall, and it's not exactly romantic here." Arching his brow by a tiny degree, looking down into his mischievous, brown eyes he slowly added "were you planning this all along?"

"Nah, I only thought of it just now when you called me filthy. And besides, isn't it a little bit exciting hiding like this, too?" Hashin's smile widened as he put his hands on Ari's shoulders, fingers tracing the shape of his neck as he stood up taller to reach his nose, nuzzling it with his own.

"Me and my big mouth..." he muttered, letting him kiss his lips once, watching him closely.

"Mm-hm. The biggest." Still holding his face up close he gave him a warm, affectionate smile.

"We're _not_ doing it in here."

"Just let me touch you."

"Eh, why that all of a sudden?"

"I want to. It makes me happy."

"No, it makes _me_ happy. It makes you goopy."

"But I like your goop."

"Oh shut up."

"Why, did it turn you on a little?" He looked up at him through his black eyelashes, a soft, knowing smirk on his lips.

"Hrm, well... Eh, are you sure about this? It's not very private... What if someone comes in?"

"Trust me," Hashin droned, his face suddenly turning serious, mouth drooping as he adopted a nasal, whiny voice, "I'm a _leading expert_ on pyromantic manipulation, your burning heart is _quite_ safe in my _experienced_ hands."

"Pfft," Ari laughed, "that was eerily close. Don't bring that old goat up now! You'll kill the mood. Even if you do look adorable when you frown like that."

"So there is a mood..."

"Yeah," he cupped Hashin's jaw in his hands, "it's getting there." Pulling his lips up to his own he kissed him, coaxing his mouth open with his thumb. "I'll do you after," he breathed softly against him, licking his tongue, a warm blush rising to his cheeks and ears, but his demeanor betrayed nothing of shyness.

"It's fine," Hashin gasped, "you can make it up to me later."

Their kissing grew deeper and more eager; Ari moaning against his mouth with unrestrained fervor as Hashin pulled his mage's robes up until it was above his chest, one hand running down his front.

"Here, hold this," he said, panting as he broke the kiss, pushing the fabric into Ari's hand before he leaned in, slipping one of his nipples between his lips. It stiffened immediately at his touch. He sucked and kissed at it, teasing with the tip of his tongue as his hand found its way down to his crotch, palm fondling the bulge over his underwear before he slipped his hand inside.

"Haa, hey, wait, what about the... The... Assignmen—"

"Don't think about _that_ now," he scolded him softly, lips against his skin, "think about something more constructive, like me."

"Nnh... Yeah... It's kinda hard not to."

"Just tell me when."

"Ah, shit. I love you," he moaned, leaning his head back against the wall with a soft thud.

Hashin snorted a soft chuckle, pausing mid-lick for a moment to reply. "If you say it like that it doesn't sound very sincere at all." He looked up at him with a grin. Ari just grunted. He bit down on his bottom lip, grinding against his hand as he stroked him, his body trembling. Nudging his nose against the top of his head he breathed heavily into his hair. Bringing his head back up Hashin kissed his throat, licking it wetly. "Mmm, tastes like my Ari." He smiled to himself, brushing his thumb over his hard nipple, pinching it lightly between his fingertips.

"Haa, don't... not yet..." Ari put his hand on his shoulder, hand squeezing as he leaned heavily against him, and Hashin braced against it, pushed him up against the wall with his body. His long blond hair fell forward, tickling his face. Hashin made a content sound in his throat and bit lightly into the skin below his ear, sucking on it.

"Hashi— Nnh... I'm gonna co-come..."

"Ah, just a second!"

"No, now..!" Ari groaned at him through his teeth, eyes closed tight. Hashin fumbled his second hand free to get it down between them, using it to keep any of it from getting on their clothes. Ari just slumped forward with his forehead against his shoulder, his robe slipping down between them as he let go. Hashin was quick to get his hands out of the way. "That was really nice," he mumbled low, snuggling his face against him, "and weirdly intense."

"Yeah, I love you too," Hashin grinned, holding his hands out to either side and away from them, "I'll just wash up and then we can go to the library, maybe get something to eat on the way. Can you stand on your own now?" He twisted his head attentively to catch a glimpse of his face. He nodded without looking up.

"I'm fine," he exhaled, "and I'm famished. But is there even time?"

"Sure, that didn't take long."

"Right... Thanks for calling attention to that." Hashin just gave him a lopsided grin as he stepped away, pushing the bathroom stall open with his back. They hadn't even thought to lock it. He turned the water on with his elbow, pondering for a moment how best to get the soap without making a mess. After a moment Arithaniel slipped up behind him as he was washing his hands, tilting his head to inspect the side of his throat in the mirror, touching the faint red mark with a grunt. "Ah, great, is that a hickey?"

"Eh, it's fine, it's just a little one," Hashin snorted, leaning his head back with a grin.

Ari sighed putting his arms around his waist. "Anyway, Hashin," he said, kissing the top of his forehead lightly, "I _do_ mean it. A lot. You know that, don't you," he smiled warmly, hugging him close.  
  
\- - -  
  
He was sitting with his chin in his hand trying to focus on the lecture. The street outside was unusually loud with clamor and shouting, and merging with the droning voice of the Magistrix up front made it hard to ignore. A clean, soapy scent of lavender lingered on his hands. He was half-heartedly tapping the notes with his pen, smiling softly to himself, but it was quickly wiped from his face as another scream came from outside, cutting the Magistrix short. Everyone in the room turned to look towards the windows.

"What's going on?" someone muttered.

"Did the pyrotechnics class start a fire in the lab again?"

"It sounds serious."

"Shouldn't we like, evacuate or something?" A ripple of unrest went through the room, but the Magistrix drew their reluctant attention back to herself.

"Stay where you are for now, I'll go and ask what is happening. If you hear the emergency bell you should gather at the academy main square," she turned for the door then stopped and quickly added, "calmly." But just as she was about to walk outside she was abruptly ushered back into the classroom by a group of armed guards as they burst in, sending a surprised murmur through the room.

Hashin sat up straight and looked across the room towards Ari, who gave him an equally perplexed expression, shrugging one shoulder slightly. Arriving late had forced them to sit separately, for a change.

"Magistrix Firestorm?" the guard at the front inquired. He was dressed as a captain of the Dalaran Guard, which would have been reassuring if his men and women hadn't been brandishing their swords.

"Yes, I am she. What is this all about, has there been some kind of incident?"

"We're going to have to ask you to come with us, as well as any of your students who are of sin'dorei lineage."

"What? You're going to have to elaborate; they are my students, my _responsibility_. If something has happened—"

"Just come with us peacefully, please, and no one will get hurt," he cut her off, shooting his guards a glance, nodding over at the students. They started to fan out as he put his hand on the Magistrix's shoulder.

She scowled at him, pulling away. "I'm coming, but leave the students alone."

"I'm afraid I have orders, Magistrix." The tension in the classroom was palpable. All that was needed was for one person to try and run and the whole room followed as if suddenly snapped out of a trance. Chairs were pushed over as everyone started to head for the door as one, pushing and jostling in a crowd-induced panic.

Hashin was thrown against the wall as he tried to get past the press of people, but before he knew it Arithaniel appeared at his side, taking his hand firmly. Without a word he pulled him along with a determined expression, pushing their way through the milling crowd.

The guards weren't prepared for a stampede and were forced aside, trying to shout for everyone to stay calm as they simultaneously rearranged their weapons in their grip.

"This way!" Ari called as he turned into another corridor, Hashin in tow. The crowd was quickly thinning, even if most seemed to be heading for the exit. "We'll go to the square like she said, something is not right, maybe someone there knows something! What were those guards thinking, drawing their swords like that?!"

"I have no idea," Hashin gasped, keeping pace with him, and a firm grip on his hand.  
  
\- - -  
  
The streets were in turmoil, people being rounded up, shouts and the sound of fighting in the air. It was surreal. Hashin turned his head as he glimpsed a woman being cut down, the spell in her hands fizzling, his eyes going wide. "It's not safe here," he snapped breathlessly, "let's get off the street." He took a sharp turn, pulling Ari after him into an alley. The feeling of their hands being suddenly forced apart stopped him dead in his tracks, half-turning.

"Keep your hands off! I didn't do anything!" Ari growled, tearing his arm free from the grip of the guard. In the corner of his eye Hashin could see another three guards blocking their way in the other direction. One of them was a woman with platinum blonde hair and burning blue eyes, the other two men with their features mostly hidden by their helmets, one taller than the other. From their insignias and the hue of their eyes he could tell that they were from the Silver Covenant. The man towering over Ari had light brown hair showing from under his helmet and a smart little goatee.

"Don't resist, we have orders to detain people associated with the Sunreavers, and your tainted, fel-green eyes tell me you qualify."

"Detain on what grounds?"

"Treason."

"What...?"

"Leave him alone, we're students here, we don't know anything about what's going on!" Hashin took one step towards Ari and the guard, but that was as far as he got before the others grabbed his arms, hauling him back. "Hey! Let me go!"

The guard harassing Arithaniel had walked a circle around him, frowning. "Is that a spark of _magic_ I sense? That won't work here; we have countermeasures in place for that sort of thing. You're not thinking about attacking us, are you, traitor?"

"Of course not! But if anyone's a traitor here it's you people, harassing civilians for no reason," he frowned in reply, emerald eyes flinty with anger. His body language was stand-offish, like someone who's convinced he's in the right, yet he kept his hands relaxed to his sides, not making a move.

"What did you call me!?" The guard snarled at his face. Before either he or Hashin had time to fully grasp the danger of the situation the guard had grabbed the front of his robes, driving his sword right through him. Ari just grunted in obvious surprise, his hands fluttering indecisively around the hilt sticking out of his abdomen.

" _What did you do_?!" Hashin screeched, straining against the arms holding him back.

The guard pulled the sword out cleanly and released his grip, leaving Ari to crumble to the ground on his side. "He was resisting. You all saw it," the man looked up as he addressed the other guards matter-of-factly, simply delivering another set of orders.

"I saw, sir," the woman said flatly, half-turned to watch the alley behind them. None of the other guards spoke.

"Ari? Ari! Arithaniel?!" he called at him desperately. He was still moving, his chest rising with shallow and labored breaths, his eyes searching aimlessly, nostrils flaring. "He's breathing!" Hashin howled, "Let me go! Help him! He's still _alive_!" His voice sounded panicked, distant and cracking, not his own. He struggled against their grip and felt himself bristle with magic, but nothing happened. His mind was racing but he couldn't think of anything useful, only that he wanted to be released, to go to him. He wanted it more than anything, a visceral desire so strong it was physically painful. "You can save him! There's time, let me go, I'll do anything! I'll fix it!"

"We have our orders, any Sunreavers who resist are to be put down."

"Put do—... What are you saying!? He didn't do _ANYTHING_! Ari! Ari, I'm right here!" With a clearly annoyed scowl the guard stepped up to Ari where he lay, pushing him over onto his back with the toe of his plate-clad foot, lifting his sword. "No! Nonono! _Don't you **TOUCH** him_!" One of the guards staggered forward from his desperate lunge, but it wasn't enough to free him.

The guard stabbed down and the sword fell soundlessly, its weight sinking into his chest all the way to the street without so much as a rustle of fabric. It looked too easy, almost effortless.

Hashin's knees gave in. If they hadn't been holding him he would have simply dropped where he stood, but instead he was hauled back up by his armpits. Arithaniel had stopped moving, flat eyes half-closed like he was drowsing, but his blood was still leaking into a pool, fanning out into bright little rivers between the cobbles.

"He's a human," someone said from somewhere behind him.

"Please..." he mewled, "please just let me go to him," his voice thin like frayed paper. But no one seemed inclined to listen. The fight had gone out of him the moment the sword dropped; he didn't even bother to try to stand anymore, leaving the guards to keep him up. _Was this really happening?_

Ari's hair was soaking up the blood, floating out slightly to one side as the little rivulets sluggishly pulled it along. He stared at him in disbelief. His face looked different, there was uncharacteristic neutrality to his features, frozen in an expression not his own. Not smiling or frowning, not peaceful like sleep or twisted like anger. It wouldn't be ever again. _How could it have come to this?_

"Right, we don't have time for this," the brown haired guard stated with dispassionate professionalism, "you two take him to where they're rounding up the others. Silverwing, you're with me, we need to go rendezvous with the rest down at the sewers."

"Just leave me here," Hashin pleaded to them in a broken voice, barely a whisper anymore. "I don't want to leave him... Please don't make me leave him..."  
  
\- - -  
  
They hauled him through the streets, feet dragging uselessly behind him, but they didn't speak or urge him to get up. Maybe because he was human and they had orders, maybe because they took some pity on him. It wasn't that he couldn't walk, or even that he wouldn't, he had simply blocked off the part of himself which cared. It hurt, but he didn't really mind. It felt inconceivable that his heart was still somehow moving inside his chest.

The streets were lined with people; some were kneeling, guards looming over them. There was still shouting and the sound of fighting, but it was more distant now. Hashin looked at the people they passed blankly, his eyes so clouded by tears he couldn't see most of their faces, his hair falling down across his face. But he still recognized Corinn the second he saw her. Her usually large eyes were widened to comical proportions. It would have looked funny if it wasn't so terrifying. The look on her face was one of cowed dread, her cheek dark and swollen, dry blood in the corners of her mouth. He didn't know if she had seen him too, but it didn't seem that way. He felt his lips part, but nothing came out, he just couldn't do it, couldn't stand the thought of facing her. To have those eyes light up with recognition, to pierce into him with the unspoken question.

She was looking up at the guard standing in front of her, her neck craned back and her body cowering, lips moving, but he couldn't hear what she was saying. The person kneeling next to her had a sword tip to his throat as the guard spoke to him. With a clean gesture the man in front of Corinn beckoned one of the other guards over. He had his sword drawn, his body partially blocking the view of her as he came up to them. Then Hashin was hauled around a corner, and he lost sight of her.

He was taken to a group at the outskirts of the trade district, a few guards standing around, but the people seemed more confused and anxious than threatened by their presence. He put himself apart, ignoring them all, a numbness spreading through him. Muttering for him to stay put the guards finally released him, letting him sink slowly to his knees, then to sit on the cobbles, like he was too broken to even collapse properly, head hanging listlessly forward.

The sensation of Arithaniel's hand slipping from his own still lingered on his palm, as if the warmth of it hadn't faded yet. He didn't feel anything and yet, for some reason, he couldn't stop crying.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it! 
> 
> This is my own take on the events of the Purge of Dalaran, where the Alliance (of Stormwind) and the Silver Covenant together with some of the Kirin Tor moved to drive the Horde (The Sunreavers) from the city, sparking a civil war after a certain incident.  
> More information can be found here: https://wow.gamepedia.com/Purge_of_Dalaran


End file.
